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Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister
History Background Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister first meet when Catelyn Stark entrusts Brienne to escort Jaime back to King's Landing in a planned exchange for Catelyn's daughters Sansa and Arya. Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 Season 6 Season 7 Season 8 Appearances together Image gallery In the books In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the relationship between Jaime and Brienne is about the same till they are taken captive by the Brave Companions; from that point, it is significantly different than in the show. Their first meeting is in the last of Catelyn's POV chapters of A Clash of Kings, in which she interrogates Jaime about his vile deeds. Brienne stands just outside the cell, listening to Jaime as he speaks rudely to Catelyn, offering her to have sex with him, and afterwards admits - without the slightest remorse or regret - that he is Cersei's lover; the father of her children; and attempted to kill Bran. Before releasing Jaime, Catelyn forces him to swear "Swear that you will never again take up arms against Stark nor Tully. Swear that you will compel your brother to honor his pledge to return my daughters safe and unharmed. Swear on your honor as a knight, on your honor as a Lannister, on your honor as a Sworn Brother of the Kingsguard. Swear it by your sister's life, and your father's, and your son's, by the old gods and the new, and I'll send you back to your sister. Refuse, and I will have your blood". In A Storm of Swords, Jaime and Brienne travel to King's Landing, accompanied by Jaime's cousin Cleos Frey (Alton Lannister's analogous book character). Like nearly everyone who ever met Brienne, all Jaime initially notices about her is her ugliness.In contrast to the TV show, Brienne is very unattractive in the novels. He keeps teasing her about her look and calls her "wench". Brienne disdainfully calls him "monster", stating "A man who would violate his own sister, murder his king, and fling an innocent child to his death deserves no other name". Sailing the river, they spot a ruined inn and several hanged women. As Brienne is about to bury the bodies, a river galley appears, chasing them. They return to the boat; suddenly Brienne jumps into the water, reaches the river bank and climbs a cliff. She drops a heavy boulder on top of the galley, causing it a massive damage, then swims back to the boat. For a moment, Jaime contemplates hitting her on the head with an oar, but being impressed at her deed - he pulls her into the boat. Jaime calls her "a bloody stupid wench". Brienne firmly says "I want none of your thanks, Kingslayer. I swore an oath to bring you safe to King's Landing". The next stop is at the Inn at the Crossroads, where they exchange the boat for horses. The innkeeper gives them directions, but Brienne, suspecting (correctly) a trap, takes the road he warned them of. Jaime grudgingly compliments Brienne for her cleverness. While they stop for the night, Jaime keeps teasing Brienne for her look; Brienne is used to such taunting, and responds by reminding him that he broke his oaths by killing the king whom he swore to protect. Jaime says she is a kingslayer just like him, and laughs when she tells how Renly died. He teasingly asks her "Had Renly spurned you, was that the way of it? Or perhaps your moon's blood was on you. Never give a wench a sword when she's bleeding". Enraged, Brienne approaches Jaime, looking like she is about to strike him. Jaime prepares to snatch her dagger and kill her, but at the last moment Brienne stops, controlling her temper. Jaime falls asleep, dreaming about killing Aerys. After passing Maidenpool, they are attacked by outlaw archers. Cleos is killed, and Brienne is injured by two arrows. Jaime takes Cleos's sword and attacks Brienne; he expects to kill her easily, despite being shackled, but to his amazement - Brienne proves to be highly skilled fighter, despite her injuries. Brienne eventually overpowers Jaime, but the noise they have made attracts the attention of a dozen of the Brave Companions, Vargo Hoat's notorious sellsword company. To Jaime's dismay, they reveal that they switched sides. He teases Urswyck, Hoat's second-in-command, and gets beaten; Brienne tries to stop them, and is beaten too. The thugs intend to rape her; Jaime cannot bear that, although just a few moments he did his best to kill Brienne, and tells Urswyck the lie about sapphire gems. Jaime and Brienne are brought to Hoat, and he orders one of his men, Fat Zollo, to cut Jaime's right hand. On the way to Harrenhal, the Brave Companions viciously abuse Jaime. His arrogance has totally disappeared; now he knows what it is like to be weak and helpless and bullied. Unable to bear the intense pain and humiliations, he weeps and prays often, and finally loses his will to live. Surprisingly, Brienne encourages him "live, and fight, and take revenge." Several days later, three of the thugs (Fat Zollo, Shagwell and Rorge) intend to rape and disfigure Brienne. Jaime feels sorry for her and advises her to not to resist, otherwise they'll treat her much more violently; Brienne defiantly answers she'll not give up without fighting. Jaime whispers "Think of Renly, if you loved him. Think of Tarth, mountains and seas, pools, waterfalls, whatever you have on your Sapphire Isle, think...". As the thugs approach, Jaime foils them by yelling "SAPPHIRES"; Jaime is beaten unconscious, but his shout alerts Hoat in time to stop his men. When they are alone, Brienne asks Jaime why he intervened. Rather than simply admit he wanted to help, Jaime answers mockingly "You're hard enough to look at with a nose. Besides, I wanted to make the goat say 'thapphireth'." Brienne thanks Jaime. When they reach Harrenhal, Roose Bolton is displeased to see that Jaime was maimed, and to hear that Brienne was nearly gang-raped. He orders to take Jaime to Qyburn, and find suitable rooms for Brienne. After Jaime receives medical treatment, he joins Brienne at the bathhouse. For a reason Jaime cannot perceive, he opens his heart to Brienne, telling her what he has never told anyone before, not even his sister: the real reason for killing Aerys. Brienne listens intently to Jaime, apparently believing him. She asks "If this is true, how is it no one knows?". Jaime is filled with anger and bitterness, recalling how the "honorable" Ned Stark judged him guilty without asking for any explanations. Although Jaime is unaware of that, he is positively influenced by Brienne's decency and honesty; his conscience, which has been dormant for so many years, finally wakes up, and makes him aware of the wickedness, corruption and injustice in the world. From that point, the amazing change in Jaime's personality makes him abandon his sinful ways and act to save innocent people, amend wrongs and prevent bloodsheds. Roose Bolton tells Jaime and Brienne that Jaime is free, but Brienne will remain for Hoat's entertainments; Jaime does not object. Some time after leaving Harrenhal, he has a feverish dream about Brienne and his fellow members of the Kingsguard, who chide him for violating his vows. The dream prompts Jaime to return to Harrenhal, where he bravely saves Brienne from the bear pit. Brienne thanks Jaime and asks him why he returned. A dozen cruel quips come to Jaime's mind, but he only shrugs "I dreamed of you". On the way to King's Landing, Brienne's sullen silences soon get on Jaime's nerves, and he begins to wish he had left her for the bear. At Brindlewood they meet Ser Bertram Beesbury, who informs them about the Red Wedding. Jaime is amazed to see that Brienne, who dropped a rock on Robin Ryger, battled a bear with a tourney sword, bitten off Hoat's ear, and fought Jaime to exhaustion - is devastated by the news. Jaime feels sorry for her, and tries to console her, not very successfully. He tries to cheer her up by suggesting to return her to Tarth, or find some place for her at the court, maybe at the City Watch. Brienne firmly responds "I will not serve with oathbreakers and murderers". After hearing the news about Joffrey's death, they arrive at King's Landing. Several of the Kingsguard welcome them, but when Loras Tyrell spots Brienne - whom he believes murdered Renly - he draws his sword and challenges her. Brienne feebly tries to explain what happened, but Loras scornfully dismisses her words as lies. Jaime intervenes, ordering Loras to put his sword away. He states that Brienne is honorable, does not lie, and as strong as the Mountain. Fearing that Loras may try to kill Brienne, Jaime orders Ser Balon Swann to imprison Brienne. Brienne, who does not understand Jaime's intention, looks hurt as she is taken away. Jaime sighs, reminding himself "It all grows from Aerys". Later, he speaks with Loras, and manages to make the hot-headed youth realize that Brienne is innocent. The amazing change in Jaime's personality makes him sever his relationship with the two people who have always had negative influence on him - first his father, and later his sister. After he and Cersei have sex near Joffrey's body, the rift between them begins and increases as time passes; Jaime sees Cersei as she is - wicked, treacherous and sluttish. The more Jaime spends time with Cersei, the more he grows to loathe her; after he finds out she has slept with Lancel and others, and is responsible to the deaths of Robert Baratheon and the previous High Septon, he grows to hate her. Cersei cannot understand why Jaime has changed; she thinks he is a shade of what he has been, and treats him contemptuously. Since they arrived at the capital after Sansa escaped (and long after Arya escaped), Jaime is unable to fulfill the second part of his vow to Catelyn. However, he tries to make up for that by equipping Brienne for searching after Sansa: he provides her with a horse, large sum of money and a parchment signed by the king, commanding all loyal subjects to assist Brienne, who is about His Grace’s business. Jaime also gives her his new Valyrian steel sword. During their last conversation in King's Landing, for unknown reason Jaime treats Brienne very rudely: he calls her "stubborn stupid wench" and tells her "Take the bloody sword and go, before I change my mind. There's a bay mare in the stables, as homely as you are but somewhat better trained. Chase after Steelshanks, search for Sansa, or ride home to your isle of sapphires, it's naught to me. I don't want to look at you anymore". Yet, fearing that Brienne will risk her life in vain, he reveals to her that "Arya Stark" whom his father sent to wed Ramsay Bolton is an impostor. In A Feast for Crows, Brienne fruitlessly searches for Sansa in the Riverlands, and never encounters her or Arya (because Sansa is in the Vale, and Arya is in Braavos); Pod, searching for Tyrion, joins her on the way to Maidenpool. In the meantime, Jaime spends the first half of the book in King's Landing, doing nothing important, and the second half - at the Second Siege of Riverrun. They do not meet, but each of them occasionally thinks about the other. While searching, Brienne often goes over the moments she and Jaime shared in her mind: the duel, the captivity, the bath in Harrenhal, how he saved her from being gang-raped, etc. She sometimes dreams about Renly, but strangely - in the dreams he is replaced by Jaime. At one point she wonders whether Jaime has given her the task as some cruel jape; perhaps Sansa was dead, beheaded for her part in Joffrey’s death, buried in some unmarked grave. How better to conceal her murder than by sending some big stupid wench from Tarth to find her? Brienne quickly dismissed that thought, certain that Jaime was sincere with her. Anyway, since she promised Catelyn that she would bring back her daughters, she is determined to fulfill her promise, at least in respect of Sansa. During a bloody encounter with three of the Brave Companions (Pyg, Timeon and Shagwell), Brienne cuts Timeon's hand off, thinking "That one was for Jaime". At the Quiet Isle, she tells the Elder Brother about her experiences, among them her interaction with Jaime. Jaime seldom thinks about Brienne. He remembers her as a "stupid stubborn ugly wench", but prays to the Father to give her strength. On the way to Riverrun, he wonders if Brienne might have passed this way before him. When Ronnet Connington speaks about Brienne mockingly, emphasizing how ugly she is (the same issue that Jaime initially used to tease Brienne), Jaime becomes angry and punches him.“You are speaking of a highborn lady, Ser. Call her by her name. Call her Brienne.” At Darry, when he bathes, he suddenly recalls sharing a bath with Brienne. Brienne, Pod and their companion Ser Hyle Hunt arrive at the Inn of the Crossroards. Rorge's gang arrive there; Brienne intervenes to protect the inn occupants, kills Rorge, but gets critically injured by Biter at the ensuing fight. While lying injured and feverish, she repeatedly calls Jaime. When Brienne regains consciousness, she becomes aware that she and companions are held captive by the Brotherhood Without Banners, which has fallen low ever since Beric Dondarrion's final death; now it is led by the monstrous Lady Stoneheart (the reanimated Catelyn). Brienne is accused of serving the Lannisters, since she carries a Lannister sword and a parchment signed by Tommen and has been repeatedly mentioning Jaime's name. One of the brotherhood calls her "the Kingslayer’s whore". They intend to kill Pod - because he was once Tyrion's squire, and Hyle Hunt - because he is one of Randyll Tarly's household knights, who captured and killed many outlaws. Brienne, shocked to see the monster Catelyn turned into, tells her she was looking for Sansa, and that Jaime has changed; her words fall on deaf ears. Lady Stoneheart, who has no sense of justice and seeks only revenge, incorrectly believes that Jaime was involved in the Red Wedding, and gives Brienne a choice: "Take the sword and slay the Kingslayer, or be hanged for a betrayer". Brienne refuses to make the choice; Lady Stoneheart commands to hang them. As the ropes become tighter, Brienne screams a word in order to save her companions.Martin confirmed she said "sword" (https://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/6425/). In A Dance with Dragons, after resolving the siege of Raventree Hall, Jaime thinks about Brienne, wondering if she found Sansa. A few hours later, he meets Brienne at Pennytree. Jaime is stunned to see her injuries (Biter's handiwork). She tells him that she found Sansa, and "I can take you to her, ser... but you will need to come alone. Elsewise, the Hound will kill her". It is obvious (to the readers) that Brienne is lying, since Sansa is in the Vale, and the Hound's fate is unknown. It appears Brienne intends to lead Jaime into a trap. References and notes Category:Relationships Category:Lovers Category:Stub article